Graeme Murty warns Rangers to beware Fraserburgh underdogs

Having spent most of his own playing career in the role of underdog, the last thing Graeme Murty will fall victim to this weekend is complacency.

Subject to a noon pitch inspection today, Murty will lead Rangers into their Scottish Cup fourth round tie at Fraserburgh tomorrow.

He believes he can empathise with the mindset the Highland League club’s players will have as they bid to cause one of the biggest shocks in the competition’s history.

Murty still recalls with relish his own experience of eliminating Manchester United and Everton from the English League Cup in successive seasons while he was with lowly York City at the start of his career. He is determined not to be on the other side of that kind of storyline at Bellslea Park.

“We will treat it as the banana skin it could be,” said Murty. “I’ll make sure our guys are prepped and we have our stuff done as diligently as if we were playing against Celtic. We have to make sure we walk out onto the football pitch with our attitude spot on. If we don’t, we are in danger of becoming the story of the weekend.

“What we want is to be through into the next round by applying ourselves properly and taking a stellar attitude. We must show Fraserburgh the respect they deserve. If we do that then we can have a positive weekend. When I was a player, I loved taking on the big clubs and turning them over, like we did at York against Man United and Everton. They were among the highlights of my career and I’m going to try and make damn sure the Fraserburgh lads don’t have a highlight of their careers on Sunday.

“I know what it’s like, I know exactly what’s going to be said in the Fraserburgh changing room. They will have 17 players on duty with ten out of ten for attitude, application and intensity.

“Anyone who is called upon for their team is going to be giving their absolute all. That is at it should be. We have to be prepared for that, we have to be ready for that. If we aren’t like that when we walk onto the pitch, then we will put the ball in their court rather than ours.

“This is Fraserburgh’s opportunity to play against the big team and be the story of the weekend, be in every single newspaper, be on every single television channel as the heroes and we have to make sure we don’t give them that opportunity.”

January signings Sean Goss, Jamie Murphy, Jason Cummings and Russell Martin are all in contention to make their debuts for Rangers. But Murty still has a lengthy injury list which leaves him without Bruno Alves, Ross McCrorie, Ryan Jack, Kenny Miller, Graham Dorrans, Lee Wallace and Jordan Rossiter.